This thread covers the General Rules and Guidelines for the Fizzy Bubbles RPG. More specific questions are answered in the Q/A Thread on UPN or BMG on the main page of the subforum - if you don't see an answer to your question here, feel free to ask in that thread!

General Rules

Follow UPN’s code-of-conduct/All rules of UPN apply

Treat other members with respect. Discrimination against race, gender, sexuality, religion, ethnicity or otherwise will not be tolerated and be dealt with accordingly. FB members who badger, bully or harass other FB members – whether it’s on UPN or elsewhere! – will be punished.

Double Accounts are not allowed. If it is discovered that you have more than one account, you will have to immediately deactivate all accounts but one. You will not be allowed to trade Pokemon between accounts or consolidate them.

That said, siblings, family members, roommates and others who share IP addresses may have their own accounts; however, it is important that you let the mods know if you might be sharing an IP address with another member or members, as it will help us ensure that we are not unnecessarily flagging members for double account usage.

If it is discovered that a member who was previously banned is attempting to evade their ban by creating a second account, that account will be banned as well.

Time zones and deadlines are usually posted at GMT time. While this is not mandatory it is encouraged to adhere to this time zone to avoid any confusion.

Please remember that FB encourages personal expression and creative development. While constructive criticism is allowed and encouraged, we strongly discourage snide remarks, jabs and disparaging comments towards others' choices in regards to trainer and Pokemon personalities, recolors, Secret Bases, and the like. If an individual is truly struggling with their writing or creative development in such a way as to impact the quality of an RP for others, the appropriate ZA/ZU or the mods themselves will take the necessary steps to address it.

Do not disparage others for winning contests, receiving good RNG rolls in an event or finding a particularly nice Pokemon or item in a zone. Jealousy should never be a motivator for one's actions. THAT SAID, if you truly believe that someone has received a Pokemon or item unfairly, particularly in Free For All Zones, please address these concerns directly to the mods.

First, post in the Registration thread with your trainer’s name, Starter Pokémon and Background information (as a bare minimum - you may be as detailed with your character's appearance, history and personality as you like). Starter Pokemon will be at Lv5 and are allowed one egg or move tutor move which that Pokemon's species can learn in the games. You may choose your starter's gender (if it has one).

You may not start with an evolved Pokémon, Legendary, Ultra Beast, Phione, Type: Null or a Fossil Pokémon. Starters may also not be shiny, shadow, recoloured, scarred or a FakeMon. Bear in mind that recolors, scars and other attributes can be added later in our Boutique.

You will be sent a PM in which you have to make a zone intro or a reply to an RP prompt. Reply to the PM with your answer. You will be notified if you’re accepted afterwards.

After being accepted you may pick up the starter pack described in the first post of the registration thread and copy your zone intro test into the appropriate zone so you may start an adventure there (provided the mods have not requested you to make any edits and, in the case of seasonal zones, that the zone is still in operation).

Pokédollars are primarily obtained from making zone introductions and replies with word counts of 250 and above. For each zone intro/reply that qualifies, you may claim $250 at the Pokébank. Pokédollars are the standard currency that can be used in trades and the general shops for generic items.

Staff Points are earned by Zone Updaters and Shop Owners for their service. The method of earning them differs between area but they are all used in the Staff Rewards thread.

Linking
The majority of statistics in FB such as levels and moves rely on the principle of honour and trust. However, a few specific accounts need to be kept tracked off and require a link for every deposit and withdrawal.

Pokédollars must be kept track of in the Pokébank.

Staff Points must be kept track of in the Staff Rewards

Rare Candies are not mandatory to be kept track off. However, you will find it convenient if you do as you may easily lose sight of it. The Fizzy Candy Store provides this service similar to the Pokébank for Pokédollars.

Bond Points, or Happiness/Friendship/Affection, can also be kept track of in The Fizzy Candy Store.

FB Shops are mainly used to train your Pokémon, though they do offer other facilities.
Below are brief overviews of each shop, but please don't rely on these descriptions to base your knowledge upon. Each individual shop has a more detailed account of their purpose in their introductory post which is often more up-to-date than this thread. The below shop titles all provide direct links to their respective threads, so please be sure to read them. While not mandatory, we ask that those with exceptionally large signatures turn them off when posting in shop threads.

Department Store - Buy various things such as Potions and Pokéballs. The items you can and cannot buy are listed in the first post of the shop.

Adoption Centre - Occasionally someone will catch a Pokémon they don't want, or need to part ways with an old friend. The Pokémon are dropped off into the Adoption Center and are removed from your party, where someone else can pick them up.

Daycare - Drop your Pokémon off during the (GMT) hours of midnight Sunday night/Monday morning to midnight Friday night/Saturday morning and your Pokémon gains one free level the following Monday. Helps especially all those who have no damaging attacks in their early levels (such as Abra or Magikarp).

The Global Trade Station - This is where people can trade for Pokémon and other items. There is also a version on BMG. Find a person with something you want, or vice-versa, and you can set up a trade via PM/IM or through the White Market. Please read the GTS' introduction post for full details.

The Pokébank - The Pokébank will keep your hard-earned cash safe and secure until such time that you need it. All cash transactions must be posted no matter what they're being used for along with an accompanying link and explanation as to how it is being used so your details may be updated correctly.

The Candy Store - Want to keep all your candies safe and secure? Open an account at the Bank and all your candy goodness shall be preserved and stored until you need them. They even give out a free rare candy every Monday. This is also the place to go to keep track of your Pokémon's Bond level and raise it.

Lanette's PC - Originally, this thread was used for storing your items and non-active Pokémon. Now, with no limit to active Pokemon or to number of slots in a trainer's roster, it exists more as an optional thread for organization and decoration.

Mew ŕ la Mode Boutique - A place to add that unique touch to your Pokémon. From recoloring to adding birthmarks, the Pokémon Boutique is the place to go. If your Pokémon just want to have a little fun, drop by and purchase some of our special clothing and costumes. Everyone loves a masquerade now and then - even your Pokémon!

The Hatchery - You may use the Fizzy Bubbles Hatchery to breed your Pokémon and/or hatch any eggs you may come across in your adventures. Designed expressly for the purpose of introducing a personal touch to a member's team, the Hatchery is the place to go for Pokémon bundles of joy.

FB Job Bureau - Job openings will be posted here when help is needed for zones and shops. Even if nothing is currently advertised you're welcome to approach an FB Moderator if you have an interest in working in a specific area.

The Calendar - You may pick up birthday presents for yourself and your Pokémon in the FB Calendar thread - pickup can be up to 72 hours past the GMT date in case you forget.

Castform's Forecast Shop - Want to take a gamble and earn a random item? Inspired by Gashapon, for a small price, you can purchase a weather capsule that contains a special item, or a small trinket.

A Pokémon may learn level-up moves from any generation. Once a Pokémon has reached the minimum level requirement for a move from any generation, they will automatically learn it. There are ways to learn other moves outside of this though.

The Move Relearner, at the Move Tutor, can teach your Pokémon moves it has forgotten due to evolution. A Pokémon needs a Bond level of at least 10 to use this.

TM moves may be taught in the thread where they're acquired.

Move Tutor and Egg Moves may be freely taught at the Move Tutor at a cost. MTs from any game may be taught including Colloseum and XD. Exceptions to this are Shadow Moves and Advanced Moves for which special restrictions apply.

Non-Standard MT moves may be taught to Pokémon who have learned every natural MT and EM move of their species. Exceptions to this are Advanced Moves and Legendary-specific moves for which special restrictions apply.

The moves Gummi Bomb (type), Guardian Terrain and Defensive Shield can be taught to Pokémon who have reached the minimum Bond requirements.

Advanced Moves may be taught to a Pokémon once it has reached a Bond level of at least 40.

Shadow Moves may be taught only to Shadow Pokémon, and can be done at the Move Tutor.

Shadow Purification moves may be taught in the [Shadow Pokémon Shop] thread once it is fully developed. The shop and its associated guidelines are a Work in Progress.

The adventures that you are going to embark upon in Fizzy Bubbles will take place in special threads called zones, which cater to specific environments and are posted on the main page of the FB subforum. Zones are interactive stories between you and the person updating you - you might encounter puzzles, traps or other predicaments invented by your updater; it's important to think creatively and respond to these situations the way you think your trainer character would!

Sometimes, a battle can occur whenever you run into a Pokémon in a zone. Your Pokémon can use any move it has ever learned. It is not restricted to the 4 Moves as it is in the game. Whenever a Pokémon is KOed, the Pokémon that participated in the KO may gain a level at the updater's discretion. If there are multiple Pokémon battling against a single Pokémon, the level distribution will be decided by the updator and the updator alone. Their decisions are final.

If you wish to capture a Pokémon, you may capture it after it has been KOed or if the Pokemon, through the adventure's storyline, becomes willing to be caught. KOing a Pokémon will increase the likelihood of the capture. Various Pokéballs will also alter the chance of capturing it. You cannot capture a Legendary Pokémon at this time - any Legendary Pokémon you run into are for the purpose of the storyline only. Any attempt at throwing a Pokéball at it will always backfire.

We have two specific types of zones in operation right now:

ZA/ZU Zones are updated by a Zone Administrator and the specific Zone Updaters chosen to assist them. Currently, members may post in a maximum of two ZA/ZU run zones. These zones are:

PLEASE NOTE: Cortoza and Phantom Isle are not open for new adventurers. These zones are carried over from Serebii and currently exist only to finish up old adventures.

Free For All (FFA) Zones are zones where anyone can update as long as they follow the rules and guidelines for updating. There is no limit to how many of these zones you can participate in. These zones are:

Free RP Areas are places for socialization among trainers and their Pokemon. Rules are relaxed here, and the primary focus is on cooperative storytelling. Pokemon and items WILL NOT be rewarded here - all RP here is strictly unofficial!

Secret Bases - Secret Bases are essentially free RP areas designed by registered FB members. All members can own one Secret Base on either UPN or BMG. The only limits to these Bases are your imagination!

Visionary Glade - All registered members may have 1 Visionary Glade thread. The Visionary Glade is for short stories, art, poetry and other creative works related to your trainer and Pokemon - it is not intended for discussion or RP. Guidelines can be found here. There is also a version on BMG for those who prefer.

Hall of Records - Old threads are archived here. Please do not post new threads in the Hall of Records, as this area is intended for thread storage rather than active posting.

Shrine of the Third Eye: The Wishlist Thread - PLEASE NOTE that it is considered extremely bad form to beg or hint to your updater that you want a certain Pokemon or item in zones and adventures. However, this doesn't mean that you can't make your wishes known - this is why we have the Wishlist Thread. Updaters may use your Wishlist as inspiration, but they are not forced to give you want you want; in FB, as in life, the journey is more important than the destination, so have fun with your adventures and gracefully accept whatever comes. You may realize that the Pokemon your updater has in store for you has a treasured place on your team after all! There is also a version on BMG for those who prefer.

The Secret Time Out Files Part 1: The Slowpoke years - This is essentially the main out of character (OOC) chat thread, for members to socialize with one another and talk about whatever's on their minds. Discussion is more or less unrestricted here, as long as people are respectful of others and follow UPN's general rules of conduct. There is also a version on BMG.

The Development Subforum - Have an idea regarding FB that you'd like to propose? Want to weigh in on the latest in FB's development? Whether you joined FB ten years ago or ten minutes ago, your thoughts and opinions are welcome!